Physician Assisted Suicide

Physician assisted suicide/dying (PAD) is it good or bad? PAD is referred to when physician provides patients who are terminally ill with prescriptions of a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient’s request, which the patient intends to use to end their own life (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2011); another option that is close to physician assisted suicide is Euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2011).

Physician assisted suicide / dying, is different from Euthanasia, the main difference on how the act is performed on ending the patient’s life. Physician assisted suicide the patient is the one who self-administers the lethal injection. The doctor is the provider of the medication, and the patient chooses when to end their life. Whereas Euthanasia occurs when a third party administers the medication. They can also act directly to end the patient’s life. Euthanasia is legal in Washington only (Clarence H. Braddock, 2009).

The thought of helping a patient who is suffering and they want to kill him or she is a very controversial topic as whether or not it is ethical for a doctor to end a person’s life. People who are against physician-assisted suicide feel that it is insulting God as well as murder. Others feel that it is a matter of choice. I feel very strongly that it is a matter of choice.

In order for a patient to qualify for physician-assisted suicide, they would have to meet certain restrictions in order to have that option. Physician assisted suicide should be made an option for any terminally ill cohe...

... middle of paper ...

...9, April 1). Physician aid-in-dyingEthics in medicine. Retrieved July 8, 2011, from University of Washington School of Medicine: www.dept.washington.edu/bioeth/topics/pad.html.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2011). Euthanasia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 2, 2011, from www.merriam-webster.com.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2011). Physician-assisted suicide. (n.d.). I. Merriam-Webster (Ed.), Retrieved July 2, 2011, from www.merriam-webster.com.

Mosser, K. (2010). A concise introduction to philosophy. Bridgepoint Education.

Wolf, S. M. (2008, October 1). Confronting physician-Assisted suicide and euthanasia: My father's death. Hasting Center Report, 38(5), 23-26. Retrieved from EBSCO Host Database located at the Ashford Online Library

Your dictionary. (2011). . In Assisted suicide. Assisted suicide. Retrieved July 3, 2011, from www.yourdictionary.com/assisted-suicide.